By Hannah Irvin
On April 13, Jonathan Everheart and Peri McCoy announced the Mr. and Ms. Montevallo Campus Impact Fund, a fundraiser benefiting the Big Event and the UM Food Pantry.
Funds donated will go directly into the designated organization’s account so it can be accessed when needed.
Everheart described the motivation behind the fund as a desire to “leave an impact of community on this campus by helping collect resources for those who need it and make it more accessible for those people.”
“I have always thought the title of Mr. and Miss Montevallo should be a position where you give back to the community,” McCoy said. “So, when I won, I wanted to find a way to give back but was not sure how.”
She and Everheart decided to create the fund after seeing other schools giving back to their community in the form of mental health awareness.
McCoy explained why she and Everheart chose the Food Pantry and Big Event, saying, “We know that the Food Pantry helps so many of our peers throughout the school year and after this past year, students have needed financial and food assistance more than ever. The Big Event is also a way to engage the campus with the community which is something we both find important for the city.”
McCoy and Everheart would like to see more than one “Big Event” in coming years, reaching even more people in the community because of the fund.
In the future, McCoy and Everheart hope to see future Mr. and Ms. Montevallo winners continue the legacy of campus impact, even if they choose different organizations to donate towards. McCoy and Everheart emphasized their hope that fellow students will understand that their time on campus is an opportunity to improve the university and town, as well as enjoying the college experience.
“We want people to know that this is a way to benefit the students,” Everheart said. “But it’s also a way to give back to our community that has given us support and love during our time at the University.”
Hannah Irvin is the Copy Editor for the Alabamian. She is a senior communications studies major who plans on attending graduate school to study clinical mental health counseling. Her hobbies include painting, photography, flipping and being a general life-enthusiast.
